


The movie marathon gone wrong (or right, depends on how you look at it)

by QueenC



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, ChalexHalloweenSpecial2020, Established Relationship, M/M, post S04 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27217162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenC/pseuds/QueenC
Summary: Alex has a tradition of watching horror classics on Halloween every year. It's his thing, he likes horror movies, and he doesn't mind watching them alone. He never happened to stumble upon anything that left him shaken so far--Well, that has just changed, apparently, and he's not above recruiting his boyfriend to keep him company over night, if that's the case. Especially if Charlie is so kind as to offer it himself.
Relationships: Charlie St. George/Alex Standall
Comments: 16
Kudos: 142
Collections: Chalex Halloween Special 2020





	The movie marathon gone wrong (or right, depends on how you look at it)

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo the Halloween Special is among us! I have a few stories planned for this week, but I'll be quite honest from the start, I'm not sure if I'll manage to pull off everything I have in mind with the available time I have in my hands, lol. One can only dream. BUT LET'S BE HOPEFUL, SHALL WE. Hope you guys enjoy this first one-shot <3

Alex stared at the long, weird shadows that danced across his bedroom ceiling with a mixture of annoyance and disquiet. He knew it was just the stupid branches of the trees that lined the sidewalk, dry and twiggy as they should be at this time of the year, the flickering light coming from the lamp outside his window making them look distorted and out of proportion. _He knew this,_ in a conscious, rational level. But their ugly shapes created the illusion of twisted, bony fingers stretching greedily in the dark, intent on dragging him away from his bed to the darkness that waited outside, where all the spooky creatures laid in waiting, expecting this night of the year to find prey in the ill-advised ones that dared to be awake at such late hours on Halloween night--

Alex huffed out an annoyed breath. He shouldn't have watched that last movie, for Christ's fucking sake.

And the ironic part was — he used to laugh at those who admitted to being afraid of these spooky stories. Shit like that didn't exist, he knew that much — but he'd fallen into his own trap this year. 

Watching horror movies in preparation for Halloween was a tradition he'd set for himself for a few years now. It usually went fine and drama-free but this time one of the titles on his list — a low budget, underrated, and therefore poorly evaluated movie — had given him the creeps for real. And not the usual creeps you get from this kind of movie, where you can just shrug it off and keep watching it until the end — _no,_ this time the movie had given Alex the creepiest fucking creeps of his life, and the only reason he didn't give up on it midway was that Tyler had suggested the movie for him, and he'd rather stay awake all night than admit to his friend he didn't make it to the end when he asked what Alex had thought of it. He had a reputation to maintain. 

Said reputation was costing him not only his sleep but also a bit of his sanity, it seemed, considering he was scared of some fucking tree branches and their stupid shadows on his ceiling — but still, Alex didn't dare to close his eyes to ignore them because who knows what the fuck would he find lurking around him when he opened them again.

It was about to cost him a portion of his dignity real soon too because he was this close to calling Charlie just to have his voice on the phone to make him company until he relaxed enough to sleep. 

Alex pulled his phone from under his pillow, tapping the screen alight. 1:38 AM. It was too late to call. It was bad enough that he was awake at such an ungodly hour, he wouldn't make his boyfriend go through it too.

He had to give it to Charlie, though. It had been a good call on his part to steer clear from any scary movie marathon Alex tried to guilt-trip him into watching. Alex was surprised he didn't get to convince Charlie to embark on this one with him. Usually, it didn't take too much for his boyfriend to get on board with his plans — but this time the younger boy had been adamant ever since the first time Alex just as much as mentioned his Halloween tradition to him. 

“I'm out,” he'd declared, one week ago, shaking his head vehemently to the idea of watching horror classics on Halloween's eve. “I don't do well with these kinds of movies, my imagination is too fertile. I keep seeing things out of the corner of my eyes for weeks after I've watched any horror movies.”

“Seriously?” Alex asked, amused. He stared at his boyfriend in disbelief when he nodded, a laugh escaping his lips. “Aw. I had no idea you were such a softie.”

Charlie glanced at him unimpressed, humming thoughtfully before a smile washed over his face. “I prefer to think I am mindful of my own reservations,” he stated, and leaned closer, capturing Alex's lips in a kiss and swallowing down any reply he might have offered. 

(Charlie had taken to this habit lately, and a lot of their small bickerings now ended with their lips pressed against each other's, this newfound technique of kissing Alex's protests away until the older boy forgot about them not going unnoticed. Alex wasn't naive. He could see what Charlie was doing. Only he didn't mind it as much as he probably should since everything they'd disagreed about so far wasn't that serious that Alex couldn't let it slide in favor of some good making out session. So he was fine with letting Charlie win. Actually, Alex was inclined to think both of them ended up winning on such occasions.)

If only Charlie could see him now, though — wide awake in his bed at almost 2 AM, sheets bunched in his fists where he grabbed at them close to his chest, mindful of his every breath in case they came out too loud for him to miss any sounds coming from outside —, Alex was sure Charlie would get a good laugh at him. And a justified one, he had to admit. He'd spent his whole week while still at Berkeley trying to sway Charlie to watch the damn movies with him, and his boyfriend hadn't budged at all. Alex had given up as the days neared the 30th and Charlie still seemed unmoving. So they'd agreed to meet only on the 31st, at a Halloween party one of Charlie's teammates was throwing at his house, and Alex had somehow agreed to go at some point he couldn't even remember. 

“How is it that Charlie managed to talk you into going to a party,” Jessica had asked, amused, as she drove them all back to Crestmont, Alex and his sunglasses chilling with a package of Doritos in the passenger seat by her side while Tyler looked up easy last-minute Halloween looks on his phone at Jessica's request in the backseat. “And you couldn't make him agree with watching some silly movies with you?”

“Hell if I know,” mumbled Alex around a mouthful of nachos. Maybe it was time to stop letting himself getting distracted by Charlie's antics to win discussions. “I'm glad you're coming with us, though. Couldn't want more to stay away from jocks-- I literally don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to this.”

“Yeah, that's the thing, I don't think you were thinking,” said Jessica with a wink, her suggestive tone prompting Alex to flick a Dorito in her direction. “Hey, no messing up my car!”

Tyler unassumingly joined the conversation by that point, learning about Alex's marathon and suggesting the cursed movie that was currently keeping Alex awake — and the worst is, Alex didn't even think his friend had done it to mess with him. And still, here he was, flashes of the scenes he'd been impacted by the most jolting him awake every time his mind drifted the slightest bit into a sleep he was sure it wouldn't come that night. Well, at least he wouldn't need to fake his dark circles for that stupid party Charlie and him were going to. 

He was brought back from one of his drifts into sleep by a night bird hooting loudly just outside his window. Between his mild panic and that awful feeling of falling that sometimes sneaks up on you when you're awake too abruptly — in the middle of all that, Alex, phone still in hand from the last time he'd checked the hour, only realized he was already calling Charlie when his boyfriend's smiling contact info picture filled the screen. 

Alex still could have hung up and pretended nothing happened. But he didn't. Fuck his dignity. He needed some distraction now. 

“Am I dreaming?” Was Charlie's reply as soon as the call connected, his voice raspy and slow from sleep.

“Hardly,” Alex answered, amused. “If someone wakes you up in the middle of the night, I think it classifies more like a nightmare.”

“Not if it's you, though,” said Charlie, yawning loudly before continuing as if this didn't just invalidate his point. “Is everything okay? Finished your movies?”

“Yeah, about that,” started Alex, and then stopped, not knowing exactly how to reveal his predicament without sounding ridiculous. 

The silence lasted for about three seconds before Charlie's voice returned, sounding a bit more awake. “What is it? Something wrong?”

Alex sighed, staring at the ceiling like he'd been doing for the longest part of the night. He didn't want to admit it. He did so, anyway. 

“I might have watched something that's now keeping me awake. As stupid as it sounds,” he rolled his eyes, annoyed at himself. “I'm sorry I woke you up but could you just stay on the line with me for a bit?”

Only stunned silence greeted him from the other side of the call for a few seconds. Alex was half convinced Charlie had drifted back to sleep when his voice sounded again, now fully awake and deliberately put together. “Could you repeat that last part again? I don't think I heard you right--”

“Oh, my God, you're laughing, aren't you,” accused Alex, squinting in disbelief at Charlie's audacity. 

Charlie indeed let out an amused laugh after his boyfriend's offended tone but was quick to amend. “I'm sorry. I don't want to make fun of you, it's just-- this seems especially funny after you spent the whole week calling me a softie because I didn't want to watch scary movies with you.”

“I can see the irony, but thanks for explaining it to me anyway,” said Alex with a roll of his eyes. He sighed, one hand brushing his face anxiously as he added. “In my defense, I had watched three movies already. Just this last one that really-- it was too much.”

“Oh babe, I'm really sorry. Yeah, of course, I can stay up with you until you feel calmer. Or,” started Charlie after a beat, voice cautiously weaving around his suggestion, “I could go sleep with you if you'd like. I mean, I know your dad almost caught us that last time, but I'm sure it's more efficient than just talking on the phone--”

“Jesus, I'm so glad you offered,” Alex cut him off eagerly before Charlie could think better of his suggestion. “Yes. Yes, please. I'd very much like to sneak you into my bedroom if you're up to it.”

Charlie balked, and Alex could picture his surprised expression even if he wasn't currently seeing him. “Oh my-- are you serious? Wow, you're really scared, aren't you?”

“I'm fucking terrified,” declared Alex categorically. “So, how's it gonna be. Are you coming to cuddle me in my bed or not?”

“How can I say no to that?” He could hear the flurry of movement on the other side of the line, probably Charlie getting out of under his covers. “I'll get there in a bit.”

“Wise answer,” praised Alex. Then he added in a smaller voice, “Thank you.”

He could hear the smile on Charlie's voice when he answered. “Don't thank me yet. I'm not done mocking you.”

Alex groaned, but there was a smile on his lips as well. “Just get your ass here as fast as you can. Then you can mock me all you want.”

“Yes, sir,” quipped Charlie cheerfully.

* * *

It took Charlie more than the usual ten minutes to go from his place to Alex's. After a trail of hushed whispers, a few curses here and there, and some mild contortionism to get his frame through Alex's window, the younger boy stood in all his glory in the middle of Alex's bedroom. It wasn't the first time Charlie sneaked in — they surely had risked their luck quite a few times before. But this time was certainly the one Alex was the most grateful for seeing Charlie mismatching the band posters and history books and video games in his bedroom. 

“Hey, yourself,” said Charlie, a huge grin on his face in the half-light that filtered through the window. He leaned down to press his lips against Alex's chastely, and Alex could taste the mint on his breath. He'd taken the time to brush his teeth, and Alex was equal parts endeared and amused. 

“What took you so long?” Asked Alex the minute they broke apart, peering up at Charlie with what he hoped were accusing eyes. But as he kept on talking, he could tell his voice sounded more whiny than anything else. “It's literally ten minutes from your house to mine.”

“I know,” nodded Charlie, fishing a small box from his hoodie's front pocket. “But I passed by that 24/7 deli on my way here, and I couldn't help myself.” He handed the box to Alex with a smile. “Happy Halloween. Hope that can at least sweeten your mood a bit.”

Alex picked up the box, turning it in his hands to see Halloween-themed cookies staring back at him. There were jack-o'-lanterns, ghosts, and spider-shaped cookies in little containers inside a black and purple box. The ghosts were cute and looked like they were smiling at him. Alex smiled back, touched by his boyfriend's thoughtfulness — even if it meant precious additional minutes of waiting for Charlie to get to his place. 

“Thank you,” he said earnestly, leaning up on his toes to press his lips against Charlie's. “You are the best boyfriend in the world.”

“It's all I ever hope to be,” Charlie grinned, the tip of his nose caressing Alex's fondly before he stepped away. He seemed to notice Alex's clothes for the first time. “Why were you sleeping in your jeans?”

“First, I wasn't sleeping. That stupid movie wouldn't let me,” informed Alex, opening the cookie box and serving himself of a smiling ghost. “Second-- well, that's the point. I literally just got here, had lunch with my parents, and started on my marathon. Then about midnight, once I finished that last awful movie, getting changed wasn't exactly my top priority.”

“Jesus, what the hell did you watch that had you so jumpy?” Asked Charlie, appalled. 

“There was a bathroom scene,” offered Alex. “Showering kind of became a no-go after that.”

Charlie seemed to be making his best not to laugh, something that Alex appreciated a lot. “Well, I'm here now. You can risk a shower if you want to. I'll save you from the monsters if need be.”

“You would outrun me from the monsters, if I heard anything about your aversion to horror movies,” mused Alex, but he was already placing the cookie box on the top of his bed and reaching for his pajamas, grateful for the opportunity of a shower after a day that started so early. 

“I'm sorry-- which one of us actually solicited help to be able to sleep?” Asked Charlie pensively. “Please, say it louder, I don't think I can hear you.”

“Fuck you,” said Alex affectionately, kissing Charlie on the cheek on his way to the bathroom. “Be back in a minute.”

After what felt like the most cursory bath Alex had ever taken in his life — with the added pressure of waking up his folks and have them finding Charlie in his bed (and honestly, he thought he'd left this behind with his old high school self, for Christ's sake) — Alex returned to his bedroom to find Charlie under his blankets, sitting against the headboard with his box of cookies as he scrolled through his phone. He had disposed of his hoodie, and Alex wasn't surprised to see he was wearing pajamas under it. He felt a wave of fondness for his boyfriend and his willingness to be here to make him company. 

“I thought those were mine,” said Alex, throwing his dirty clothes over a chair before stepping closer to his bed, lifting the covers so he could slide in alongside Charlie. 

Charlie put down both the box of cookies and his phone. “They are, I was just curious about the spiders. Thought they would be chocolate but it turns out they're raspberry.”

“Who'd have thought, huh,” mused Alex, snuggling against his boyfriend's side, one hand thrown over Charlie's waist as he buried his face in the crook of his neck. 

Charlie was surprised for a split second. It wasn't that Alex wasn't cuddly, he just usually wasn't the one to initiate the cuddling. He was quick to recover, though, wrapping both arms around the older boy, one landing over his hip and the other sneaking under Alex's body to hold him close, fingers splayed open on his back. 

Alex curled even closer, sinking in relief against Charlie's body, one of his legs coming to rest between his boyfriend's. He felt relaxed for the first time in hours. He blew out a sigh through his nose, eyes closing as Charlie's fingers started a slow pattern on his lower back. 

“Why didn't you call me sooner?” Asked Charlie in a whisper, his chin propped on the top of Alex's head as the older boy took advantage of their positions to hide his face in his boyfriend's neck. 

“I don't know. Didn't wanna bother you?” He confessed. “Especially not with something so ridiculous as getting scared of a stupid movie.”

“You could never bother me,” reassured Charlie, kissing Alex in the forehead affectionately. Alex was still surprised sometimes at how these were words he could only believe when they came from Charlie's lips. “Who told you about this movie? Who do I have to fight on your behalf?”

Alex laughed, his voice sounding muffled against Charlie's skin. “It was Tyler, actually.”

“Oh, man, c'mon, not Ty,” sighed Charlie. Alex grinned, pulling apart just enough to look at his boyfriend in the eyes. 

“You wanna be careful with your allegiances here,” he warned in mock-seriousness. “I know you're good friends with Tyler but I really think you should side with me on this one.”

“Yeah?” Asked Charlie, one hand lifting to push Alex's hair away from his forehead. “What's in it for me?”

“Well, I'm sure I can think of a few benefits I'd be more willing to offer than Tyler would,” pondered Alex. 

“Okay, I'm sold,” announced Charlie, prompting a chuckle out of his boyfriend. “When can we start?”

“You're so easy,” teased Alex, leaning in to kiss the underside of Charlie's jaw playfully. “Who said anything about starting? I asked you to come over to _sleep_ with me.”

“Yeah, sure, awesome,” said Charlie, tilting his head back slightly to give Alex more room in his exploration. “But lemme ask-- are you sleepy yet, by any chance?”

Alex snorted out a laugh, reading his dork of a boyfriend like a book. “I'm definitely not,” he answered simply, pressing his lips more insistently in the dip behind Charlie's right ear. 

Charlie hummed, a faint shiver coursing through his body as he mumbled a “yeah, that's what I thought,” and used his weight to push Alex into his back. The older boy followed his lead willingly, legs falling open to better accommodate Charlie flush against his body. They lost track of time after this, hands and tongues and teeth dancing over each other's skins in a compass they had grown to know well over the time they were together. 

At some point, somewhere between Alex shoving his fingers tightly into Charlie's locks and hissing in pleasure when Charlie bit into his collarbone in retaliation, the younger boy paused just enough to ask, words spoken in a hush against Alex's skin. “Is this working? Are you still scared?”

Alex smiled, hand loosening his grip on Charlie's hair as he peered down at his boyfriend fondly, a mix of trust and arousal in his eyes. “No, I'm not anymore. I'm with you.”

Charlie grinned, surging up just long enough to press his lips against Alex's affectionately before returning his attention to the task at hand and picking up where he'd stopped.

* * *

Alex woke up with a start, jolted out of his sleep by a loud honk sounding outside — his dad leaving for work and waving his mom goodbye. He fumbled sleepily for his phone — 7:45 AM — and then sagged against Charlie's chest again once he was sure there was still enough time until he had to meet Jessica to go hunting for improvised Halloween costumes. Alex knew Jessica too well. She was not above barging into his bedroom if he was late. Having her and his mom ogling him and Charlie in his bed was not how he wanted to start his day. 

“Good morning,” Charlie's sleepy voice sounded croaky on his ear, startled awake by Alex's jump-scare with the honk. “Bad dream?”

“No,” tranquilized Alex, sliding his phone back under his pillow. “Just thought we'd maybe slept too much. But we're good. You can still sneak out while my mom gets ready for her shift.”

“Okay,” nodded Charlie, his nose tracing the column of Alex's neck affectionately. “Slept good?” 

By the quality of his voice and his limited use of words, Alex could tell Charlie wasn't registering a single thing he was being told, half-asleep as he was. Alex didn't blame him, though. They still had found the energy to start watching a rom-com late last night, to erase any heebie-jeebies Alex might still have left. They'd made it halfway through the movie before passing out, Alex comfortably nested against Charlie's chest, the younger boy spooning him safely and closely in their sleep.

He turned around in Charlie's embrace to face him, a smile on his lips, and Charlie stared down at him groggily as he answered. “Yeah, I did. Your choice of movie was better than mine.”

“We didn't even finish it,” frowned Charlie, hands traveling over Alex's back distractedly. 

“Precisely,” emphasized Alex, thinking that's what he should have done with his last marathon choice but knowing the humor would be lost on his boyfriend in his current sleepy state. He grinned wider, one hand curling into the nape of Charlie's hair so he could press his lips against the younger boy's, morning breath be damned. “Happy Halloween.”

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any mistakes, today was hectic af and I didn't have the time to go over this story as much as I'd like. Let me know if I missed anything, and also what you thought of this one <3 
> 
> Also, if you're interested in participating in the Chalex Halloween Special, you can find all info about it on the [Chalex Events tumblr](https://chalex-events.tumblr.com/information)! We have all week to post Halloween-themed content, and I really hope I can bring you guys some more Charlie and Alex in these settings this week. Let's give our boys some spooky shenanigans!


End file.
